When you are thinking of stacking players in DFS you automatically think of going with a quarterback and a wide receiver and most times there are also plenty of other DFS players that are thinking the exact same way as you when stacking them together. Now with so much information available weekly you are having to find new ways to differentiate yourself from the masses in GPP tournaments. One way to differentiate your team in GPP's is to look for "The Other Stack", which is one that is uncommon and one that will be very low owned if played together but one that also will offer upside to score some big points if it hits.
STACKING WR or RB (KR/PR) WITH TEAM DEFENSE
One way to get off the common QB/WR stacks is to look for offensive players that have a big role in the offense but also return punts and/or kickoffs and hope to hit a home run by stacking that player with his teams Team Defense. If that player breaks a touchdown on a return you would essentially double dip and get the 6 fantasy points for that individual player as well as the 6 points for the Team Defense.
1) WR Ted Ginn Jr (PR/KR) + Carolina Panthers Defense
Ted Ginn Jr has always been a dual threat with his offensive skills and kick and punt return duties. In Week 1, Ginn only saw a single target on offense for a reception and 5 yards, he also had 20 yards rushing and had one kickoff return and two punt return opportunities. The numbers weren't great at all but it was against the Denver Broncos tough defense and this week the offense will surely open up as the Panthers get a home matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. All eyes are on Cam Newton, Kelvin Benjamin, and Greg Olsen in this Panthers offense and Tedd Ginn is often overlooked in this offense but has the potential to break a long touchdown at anytime. The Panthers Defense is in line for the best outlook in Week 2 as they are a -13.5 home favorite against the lowly 49ers. The Panthers are coming off a 2 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 2 interceptions against the Broncos and should easily be able duplicate those numbers against the 49ers and adding in Ginn for 3 or 4 return opportunities the potential for a return touchdown is there. If the game script goes to plan the 49ers might be punting all game long for additional opportunities for Ginn in the punt return game. The 49ers are coming off a very short week as they played a late Monday Night game and now have to travel to the East Coast for a road game against a team that has had 10 days of rest, the outlook does not look promising for the 49ers in general.
Secondary Option: RB Darren Sproles + Philadelphia Eagles Defense
STACKING RUNNING BACK WITH KICKER
When thinking of a stack in DFS the last one that comes to mind is stacking anyone with a kicker. We typically don't care about kickers in fantasy as we often look for the kicker with the high over/under, best matchup, kicking at home, kicking indoors, accuracy, long field goals, etc. This is where you can gain an edge/advantage in big field GPP's as you can look to pair a strong running back play with a low owned kicker to help differentiate your team and help reduce the ownership percentage of a chalky running back play on the week.
2) RB Ezekiel Elliott + K Dan Bailey
Monday Night Football was not very kind to the Washington defense as the Steelers basically walked right over them. DeAngelo Williams had 143 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 26 carries, and added 6 catches for 28 yards, finishing as the top fantasy RB in Week 1. Washington continued their poor run defense as they averaged 122.6 yards allowed per game last season with 10 rushing touchdowns and it looks like nothing changed in 2016. Elliott comes to town for his second NFL game which is a much better matchup then last week's game against the Giants. Elliott finished last week with 20 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown and a single catch for one yard. The touchdown saved his fantasy week as he only averaged 2.6 yards per carry but this week with a poor Washington defensive front and on the flip side the strong Dallas offensive line, everything is lining up for Elliott to have his breakout game. In the kicking game, Dan Bailey was the top kicker in Week 1 as he was 4 for 4 on field goals and had an extra point. The Cowboys should be able to move the ball with ease this week and that should open up multiple kicking opportunities for Bailey and makes a great pairing with Elliott.
Secondary Option: RB Danny Woodhead + K Josh Lambo
STACKING QUARTERBACK WITH RUNNING BACK
Looking back on 2015 we saw a lot of the big scores in GPP's consist of unlikely combos at the QB/RB positions. A Ben Roethlisberger stack with his starting running back in DeAngelo Williams or Le'veon Bell seemed to be a negative correlation on paper but it actually turned out to be one that was a huge advantage for the DFS players that weren't afraid to zig zag off your typical QB/WR stack. Another great example of this type of combo from last season was with the Kansas City Chiefs and QB Alex Smith with RB Jamaal Charles. If you can find the right QB or RB that is popular on the week and pair him with his teams QB or RB you are going to have an against the grain stack regardless if one of the two players are highly owned.
3) QB Trevor Siemian + RB C.J. Anderson
When first looking at the Week 2 games, my initial thought was C.J. Anderson is the best play on the slate regardless of price. I still think that is the case as Anderson looked fantastic last week at home against the Panthers defense, running for 92 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and adding 4 catches for 47 yards and an additional touchdown. The Colts rush defense is just as bad as their pass defense as Theo Riddick and Ameer Abdullah combined for 108 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, 10 receptions, 120 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. We know C.J. Anderson is the guy in Denver right now as rookie Devontae Booker struggled in his first action as he actually fumbled his first career carry. Trevor Siemian comes into play for so many reasons but stacking him with Anderson after seeing those Detroit combined RB totals makes so much sense. Siemian is a value play across the board and rostering him opens up a lot of salary to spend at the WR position.
Secondary Option: QB Carson Palmer + RB David Johnson
STACKING OPPOSING TEAM WIDE RECEIVERS
One of the forgotten stacks is pairing wide receivers up from the same game on opposite teams. You want to look for a game with a tight point spread and with a high over/under that has potential to be a shoot out type. Teams that might play in a pass friendly dome or that lack a running game also help in this situation and are a positively-correlated non-QB/WR stack worth considering in GPPs. It also makes sense to stack one of the quarterbacks in this situation and even mix and match with each teams quarterback and a variety of different pass catchers on both teams.
4) WR Odell Beckham Jr New York Giants + WR Willie Snead New Orleans Saints
The chalk play this week might be an Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jrstack after we saw what the Oakland Raiders did against the Saints last weekend. Beckham Jr was not great against the Cowboys in Week 1 as he finished with 4 catches for 73 yards on 8 targets but this is the perfect matchup for him to turn his play around. When the Giants played against the Saints last year Beckham Jr had a massive 8/130/3 stat line and if any wide receiver is in position for a multi touchdown week this week it would be Beckham Jr. On the flip side of this game, Brandin Cooks is going to be a popular play on name recognition alone as he is coming off a huge 6/143/2 line himself. I prefer Willie Snead over Brandin Cooks this week because of the price points on the different sites. Snead caught all 9 of his targets in Week 1 for 172 yard and a touchdown and last year when the Saints played the Giants, Snead had a nice 6/70/2 stat line. This Saints/Giants game has the highest total on the board at 53 points with the Giants as a -4.5 favorite, you are going to want some exposure to this game.
Secondary Option: WR Mike Evans Tampa Bay Buccaneers + Michael Floyd Arizona Cardinals
If you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to hit my up on Twitter @JamesBrimacombe